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Broncos' McDaniels is in trouble

A franchise going up in flames

Statements released by any organization operating in the public spotlight are usually carefully crafted, sparsely informative and a length-of-a-field touchdown pass away from controversial.

Then you have the statement the Broncos released Monday night that called into question the job security of coach Josh McDaniels, even after owner Pat Bowlen only hours earlier indicated in an interview he would stick with his coach after this season.

The Broncos' official statement, with Bowlen's name on it, essentially said: "You know, on second thought, that interview didn't come out the way I intended. The head coach will be re-evaluated after the season."

Across the Rocky Mountain region, heads scratched and eyebrows rose during one of the most confusing and tumultuous weeks in team history, starting with a spying scandal, followed by another ugly home loss, then conflicting messages from the top of the organization.

A statement from ownership meant to temper a strong vote of confidence? Clearly, McDaniels is in trouble.

"The statement Pat Bowlen released on Monday is indicative of his position," said Joe Ellis, the Broncos' chief operating officer, when he was asked later in the week to comment for this story.

The conflicting messages also raised questions about the Broncos' chain of command at the highest level.

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No answers come from the locker room. In good times or bad, Broncos players only know their coaches are the bosses. The bosses' bosses?

"I don't know anything about what's going on upstairs," Broncos special-teams captain Wesley Woodyard said. "We play. If we knew what was going on up there, we wouldn't be players."

Bowlen, 66, decided shortly after he hired McDaniels in January 2009 that it was time to relinquish many of his day-to-day duties. Not that Bowlen had plans to retire. There is a difference between retiring and visiting. He has a home in Hawaii. He goes there more often than he had in his first 25 years of ownership.

Still, Bowlen shows up at his Dove Valley office almost every day and talks often with McDaniels.

But, as Bowlen slides increasingly into an authoritative role of delegation, his longtime right-hand man, Ellis, has assumed greater operational responsibility. Ellis has long had the authority to recommend, but nothing else. And Bowlen still makes the final decision.

"I knew before last year with Mike Shanahan, there was no question, there was only one person above him," Broncos veteran cornerback Champ Bailey said. "And that was Pat Bowlen. And now you know (Brian) Xanders is the GM who has a lot of say-so when you talk about decision-making. But I don't know too much about how it all works up there."

Since McDaniels' hiring, a seemingly endless series of controversies have put more focus on how the team is run at the top.

There appear to be two primary reasons for Bowlen to keep his head coach despite the team's slide. One, two years is a short time to overhaul a football team stuck in mediocrity for much of the past decade. Two, McDaniels has two years and $6.9 million left on his contract after this season.

Financial decisions, though, are not restricted to salaries alone. For the first time in memory, the Broncos did not announce their actual crowd count last Sunday for their game against St. Louis. Instead, the Broncos did no more than follow league policy by announcing the tickets distributed, 72,736.

While McDaniels' 11-16 overall record, combined with heavy no-show crowds and questionable personnel moves, have hurt, it's the integrity assaults the organization has taken in the aftermath of its recent videotape violation that has Bowlen and Ellis likely to huddle at season's end.

Amid the confusion regarding McDaniels' future as Broncos coach, Bowlen released a statement late Monday that said: "This has been a very trying and disappointing season for all of us. We will continue to monitor the progress of the team and evaluate what's in the best interest of this franchise. Josh McDaniels is the head coach of the Broncos, and you always strive for stability at that position. However, with five games left in the 2010 season, we will continue to monitor the progress of the team and evaluate what's in the best interest of this franchise."

Bowlen released the statement shortly after he told FanHouse.com in a phone interview, "I am not interested in making a coaching change."

Although McDaniels was cleared by NFL investigators of not having advance knowledge of the video of the 49ers' walkthrough that was filmed by his friend, Steve Scarnecchia, the incident has raised widespread suspicions about his credibility. This past week, though, he has been remarkably relaxed in his dealings with the media as he prepares for today's game.

"I know I was raised the right way," McDaniels said in an interview in his office. "I know how I am as a father. I know how I am as a husband. I know how I am as a son, as a friend, and what I try to do every day as a coach. I'm comfortable with everything I try to do with those hats I wear. The way other people judge me, I can't control that. I can just control what I do. I think the people who support me and us here know that about me."

Maybe if McDaniels carried an 8-3 record into the game today instead of 3-8, the Broncos' fan base would be more apt to believe him, or dismiss the video violation as a minor affair. Winning seems to generate trust.

But McDaniels has won but five of his past 21 games after a 6-0 start, and that record, combined with the fallout from the scandal, has embarrassed the organization to the point where few would be surprised if he were let go at season's end.

To wit: If the Broncos are to regain the trust of their fan base, they may be forced to separate the organization from the one person most identified with the breach in integrity.

And if the Broncos change the leadership of their football operations department? Bowlen could look to the Atlanta Falcons for inspiration.

As bad as it now seems with the Broncos, it's unfathomable to believe an organization could surpass the Falcons' nadir of 2007. Their franchise quarterback and the NFL's highest-paid player, Michael Vick, was locked up in Leavenworth after he was convicted of funding a dogfighting ring. And the Falcons' first-year head coach, Bobby Petrino, quit 13 games into his first season.

From those depths, the Falcons went 11-5 and made the playoffs in 2008 and have the NFC's best record this year, 9-2.

The Falcons' resurrection was led by general manager Thomas Dimitroff, whose most significant accomplishment was hiring a relative unknown, Mike Smith, as head coach. He then drafted Matt Ryan to play quarterback.

Don't be surprised if Bowlen breaks from the organizational model he's used through the first 27 years of his ownership and hires a strong football executive to oversee the coaching staff.

Bowlen and Ellis may already know how they will proceed at seasons' end. The appearance of uncertainty at the Broncos' highest level of authority might be only because the season hasn't ended.

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